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When Michael Jordan gave Will Perdue the nickname of “Will Vanderbilt,” the big man was initially hurt and embarrassed by it.
To recall, Jordan didn't think Perdue was good, so he started calling him “Will Vanderbilt” since Perdue went to college at Vanderbilt. MJ didn't think the center deserved to be named after a Big Ten school (Purdue).
During an interview with Mark Carman of Fansided, Perdue talked about his infamous nickname and how he ultimately earned the respect of Michael Jordan:
Article Continues Below“I was embarrassed by it early on,” Perdue said. “Michael only knew two things, the ACC because that’s where he played, and the Big Ten because back then in the ’80s, you only saw local basketball. I get drafted and he sees the name Perdue, and he’s like that guy is not even good enough to play at Perdue so I’m going to call him Will Vanderbilt. He hardly ever saw me play, didn’t know much about me and made a blind statement. I didn’t necessarily take it personally, but it hurt a little bit.
“I just kept working. I think he saw my work ethic. I was always in the gym, in the weight room and I didn’t back down. I accepted his challenge, I continued to practice hard and as I slowly started to play, I slowly started to build that trust.”
Perdue was part of the first three-peat in Chicago when Jordan and the Bulls defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns. Perdue won his fourth title in 1999 as a member of the San Antonio Spurs.
Episodes 5 and 6 of The Last Dance come out on Sunday and will be aired on ESPN and ESPN2 again. The first four episodes have been thrilling and basketball fans can't wait to continue to watch the epic docu-series.
Jordan won six championships with the Bulls and six Finals MVPs. The franchise hasn't been back to the Finals since the Jordan era.
